Hireservehttp://hireserve.com
Recruitment SoftwareFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:42:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3The humans behind Hireserve: Kirstyhttp://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-kirsty
http://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-kirsty#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:35:44 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3887Next in our series is Kirsty, who joined us a couple of months ago on an internship as Marketing Assistant. Fresh from University, and with some serious social media knowledge up her sleeve, we talk to Kirsty about marketing and social, graduate employment prospects and why work experience is so important. Hi Kirsty. Can you...

]]>Next in our series is Kirsty, who joined us a couple of months ago on an internship as Marketing Assistant.

Fresh from University, and with some serious social media knowledge up her sleeve, we talk to Kirsty about marketing and social, graduate employment prospects and why work experience is so important.

Hi Kirsty. Can you tell us a bit about your course at University?
I studied Media Studies which focused on a wide range of topics from advertising and branding in the 21st Century, to postmodern society and popular music. It was really varied and allowed me to learn about a huge range of topics and theories as well as gain a small amount of practical production skills.

What made you want to explore a career in marketing?
Ever since I started studying Media at GCSE level I was always interested in advertising in particular. When I went to college I also took up Business Studies which taught me more about marketing in general and caught my interest. This led me to studying Media at University and choosing modules which could help me pursue this career, particularly a module on social media.

What are your thoughts on the importance of work experience and work placements for undergraduates/recent graduates?
I think work experience is hugely important whether you’re still at university or have just left. However great a degree may look on paper, it doesn’t make you a great all-rounded person as you have no practical experience.

Getting any amount of work experience shows that you’re being pro-active and trying to get the experience you need. Throughout my three years at University I carried out a couple of work placements and feel that they helped boost my CV but also made it possible for me to get my internship here at Hireserve because of the skills I learned.

How do you and your peers feel about your career prospects? Were you all confident entering the jobs market? Did you feel prepared in terms of employability?
I would be lying if I said that we were feeling confident about entering the job market, but in reality we’ve finished University at a great time economically as the job market is definitely a lot better than it has been in the past.

I know some students in my course who haven’t felt that they have the best career prospects ahead of them because of their degree but then I also know plenty of people, including myself, who have managed to get jobs straight out of University which are related to their degree which shows that it is possible.

What have you learnt/experienced so far during your time at Hireserve?
When I joined Hireserve I knew very little about recruitment software, but after two months of working here I’ve already started writing technical blog posts, something that was intimidating to begin with, but am now starting to feel a lot more confident about the more technical elements of an ATS.

One of the things I was really interested in learning more about was how websites are run. I’ve had the chance to learn how to use WordPress and have been able to add and edit pages on our main website by myself. I’m also lucky to have been trusted with sourcing and scheduling content for one of our Twitter profiles. It’s a great feeling to see that what I’m doing is increasing our follower numbers and hopefully it will continue that way!

What are you most looking forward to during your time with Hireserve?
The thing I’m most looking forward to now is our major marketing campaign that is coming up over the next few months. It was really exciting to have been involved in the planning of the campaign and am looking forward to going through each stage and seeing where it takes us. It’s going to be a great opportunity for me to continue to learn about different marketing techniques.

Considering I’ve only been at Hireserve for two months, we’ve already had some great work socials, so I’m looking forward to more of those as well!

]]>http://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-kirsty/feed0The 3 ATS reports you need to be usinghttp://hireserve.com/3-ats-reports-you-need
http://hireserve.com/3-ats-reports-you-need#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 15:37:02 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3875If you’re new to an ATS, you’ve likely listened to a lot of system providers tell you all about their reporting suites. The level of reporting offered by each Applicant Tracking System will vary, but there are several reports you’ll need that should come as standard. Why are ATS reports so important? Well, within them...

]]>If you’re new to an ATS, you’ve likely listened to a lot of system providers tell you all about their reporting suites.

The level of reporting offered by each Applicant Tracking System will vary, but there are several reports you’ll need that should come as standard.

Why are ATS reports so important? Well, within them lies a wealth of candidate and job data, which can help you to evaluate your processes and measure the success of your recruitment campaigns. From source-reporting to cost-mapping, your ATS reports can provide a range of useful information.

Top 3 ATS reports No.1: Time to Hire

This report is one of the most commonly used, and can provide an insight into the efficiency of your hiring process.

Often you can choose between two different parameters – one being the time to hire from when the job was first created and the other from when the job went live.

If you’re seeing there’s a particularly long time between the job being created and it going live, it could suggest there’s an internal bottleneck in your vacancy approval process. As an another example, if you notice that certain jobs take longer to fill than others, it could be a sign that you need to review your recruitment strategy for those longer-to-fill roles.

Top 3 ATS reports No.2: Source reporting

You need to know from where your candidates are applying to be able to measure the effectiveness of certain campaigns.

Are job-boards delivering most of your strongest candidates? Is LinkedIn producing high numbers of applicants? Or is your careers site where you should be really focusing?

This report can provide data by integrating with Google Analytics, in addition to capturing information from candidates’ application forms (you could ask the ‘Where did you hear about us?’ question, for example) and pulling in data from other ‘Source’ fields in your ATS.

With this level of information, the source report should be able to tell you the most and least popular sources of candidates.

Top 3 ATS reports No.3: Section statistics

This one can provide you with a real insight into how application forms for certain jobs are performing.

ATS reports like this should include information such as who started a form but didn’t complete it, and should allow you to drill down into at which specific points of the form candidates dropped off.

This information can help you to ensure that you’re not putting your candidates through a lengthy application process or making them jump through hoops. It can also enhance your understanding of how candidate application expectations differ for certain roles.

Making sense of your ATS reports

It’s all well and good having an Applicant Tracking System with a comprehensive reporting suite, but unless you know how to make sense of that data, it’s of little worth.

Talk to your supplier, who should be able to support you with additional reporting training to help you get the best out of your system’s reports. Some Applicant Tracking Systems offer more bespoke reporting options, like our Report Builder, where you can create customisable reports.

With the right support and training, you don’t need to be a code breaker to unlock the information and insights from your ATS.

]]>http://hireserve.com/3-ats-reports-you-need/feed0The SME guide to attracting graduateshttp://hireserve.com/the-sme-guide-to-attracting-graduates
http://hireserve.com/the-sme-guide-to-attracting-graduates#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:18:21 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3861We’re in the midst of a skills shortage in certain industries. As a fresh wave of graduates descends on the working world, employers are preparing for battle in the war for talent. But if you’re an SME, how can you compete with the larger graduate employers for the attention of graduates? It’s time to get...

]]>We’re in the midst of a skills shortage in certain industries. As a fresh wave of graduates descends on the working world, employers are preparing for battle in the war for talent.

But if you’re an SME, how can you compete with the larger graduate employers for the attention of graduates? It’s time to get armed with some small biz ammunition.

Look beyond the pay packet

Increasingly, graduates are attracted to organisations which share their values. A recent survey of graduates found that a company’s people and culture and work-life balance were both rated higher than salary size.

This is good news if you’re unable to match the salaries and benefits of your larger rivals. Think about what you can offer, whether it’s the opportunity to work flexibly, scope for progression or the chance for employees to give back to the community through a local charity partnership.

Work is more now than a place to sit for 8.5 hours a day. Instead, graduates want to become a part of something – an innovative new project, a product that makes a difference, a team that feels more like a family than colleagues. If you can communicate this, you could find yourself streaks ahead of some of the larger, more traditional grad scheme providers.

Perfect your employer brand

Leading tidily on from the above, it’s essential for you to pin down a strong employer brand. Your employer brand is how you portray your business and values. It’s the way you write about your opportunities, how you communicate your ethos and how you can demonstrate what life is like at your organisation. It should help forge a connection between you and your candidates.

There are lots of ways you can promote your employer brand, and your website and social media channels are two of the most cost-effective and visible ways. Perhaps your company culture is boutique and cosy, driven and ambitious or creative and quirky. Whatever your style, it is vital that you communicate this consistently.

Every candidate touchpoint needs to reflect your employer brand, from your job descriptions to your candidate communications. This will help to foster trust during a candidate’s application experience, and if your employer brand suits their own values and beliefs, it may put you a step ahead of your competitors.

Shrug off your invisibility cloak

As a small business it can often feel as if you’re less visible than your bigger counterparts. With lower brand awareness and a limited recruitment budget, it’s likely that the larger careers fairs and jobs boards are out of reach.

So instead, get creative. If you want to attract talented graduates, reach out to your professional network with requests to spread word of your vacancies. Consider an employee-referral scheme to encourage your existing team members to recommend recent graduates from their circles.

Tweet, share and do whatever folks do on Google+ to increase your vacancies’ reach. Head to local networking events and build links with local schools, colleges and universities to develop your own talent pipeline through work experience placements and internships. Being small is no reason not to shout.

Looking to recruit graduates?

Celebrate your size, and position your flat management structure or varied roles as of huge benefit to a graduate’s burgeoning career. Communicate your values and build a consistent employer brand to showcase what life at your organisation is really like. And get out in your wider business community and beyond to spread the word of your opportunities.

Being a small business shouldn’t stand in the way of top graduate talent.

You might just have to work a little harder to be heard above the noise!

]]>http://hireserve.com/the-sme-guide-to-attracting-graduates/feed0Recruitment Software Jargon Bustinghttp://hireserve.com/jargon-busting
http://hireserve.com/jargon-busting#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 15:53:08 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3840When it comes to recruitment software, we understand that things can get a bit confusing at times, especially when we start getting technical and abbreviating terms. So to help you out, we’ve created a mini word bank of some of the most important terms you need to be aware of. To make it even simpler,...

]]>When it comes to recruitment software, we understand that things can get a bit confusing at times, especially when we start getting technical and abbreviating terms. So to help you out, we’ve created a mini word bank of some of the most important terms you need to be aware of.

To make it even simpler, we’ve broken these down into three key sections; basic terms, the technical aspects of a recruitment system, and tools which aid candidate experience.

Let’s get started…

BASIC TERMS:

ATS

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. This is the administrative hub of your recruitment software, it’s where you will manage your entire recruitment process, from posting jobs to tracking your candidates’ progress.

Dashboard

The dashboard is your information hub. This is where you will go to navigate your way around your recruitment software. You will be able to customise your dashboard and choose what you want to see here, from your inbox to report updates. It’ll allow you to quickly access your job listings, candidates, and reports, and will make accessing the right documents a breeze!

SAAS

Possibly one of the most important terms to know, it stands for Software as a Service. This means that the software is delivered over the internet, the user buying a licence or setting up a subscription to use the service, removing the need to install and manage the software directly. Instead, the software is centrally hosted by the supplier but managed remotely.

Talent Pool

A talent pool is a way for you to collect candidates of interest for future recruitment opportunities. These may be people who have specialist skills but were not suitable for a particular job, but may be great for a future role. You can save these candidates in folders within the Talent Pool, adding and removing candidates freely.

SYSTEM:

Agency Portal

If you’re using agencies to help you recruit, they too can have access to areas of the ATS with their own login. This means that instead of having to communicate back and forth via email, agencies are able to upload candidate CVs, making the process more efficient.

Cost Mapping

Cost mapping enables you to keep track on how much you are spending on each vacancy. In conjunction with Google Analytics, this ensures that you are receiving detailed data to show you which recruitment channels are working most effectively.

Modular Set-up

In simple terms, this means that different functionalities can be set for different users, allowing users’ access to different components depending on their role. Using a configurable system means that you can tailor the system to your needs to ensure that it meets your recruitment process requirements.

Standard Reports

These are a range of reports which will allow you to analyse key statistics over a chosen period of time. Most commonly, standard reports would include the average Time to Hire and Cost per Hire, helping you to analyse the amount of time and money spent per vacancy. Reports help you plan for future recruitment as you will be able to base this on which methods have been most successful. Your reports can be illustrated in a range of different ways depending on how you wish to view this information, in lists, tables, charts and graphs.

XL Grids

Similar to Excel’s spread sheet functionality, XL Grids is a tool for displaying data within your recruitment software, allowing you to efficiently store and filter data. The main advantage of XL Grids compared to traditional spreadsheets is the speed with which changes to your data can be made and directly stored within the database. The data is always live, meaning that it is current and valid. All data contained in XL Grids can be instantly downloaded to Excel, whilst maintaining the data’s format.

CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE:

Integrations

Within a good recruitment system you should be able to integrate your social channels. This means that you can aid your recruitment through features such as ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ and automatic job tweets. Video interviewing technology and psychometric testing can also be integrated within your system, advancing your interviewing capabilities, allowing for a greater sense of flexibility in the recruitment process.

CV Parsing

This is a tool that analyses candidate CVs and can abstract key data such as a person’s education, contact details and skills. CV parsing reduces the manual work traditionally involved in processing CVs as it automatically extracts the information, making it more manageable to examine your candidates based on their particular skillset or educational history for example.

Employer Branding

Employer branding promotes who you are as an organisation. It strengthens your values and tells people why they should be interested in you as a brand. Having a strong brand identity is of key importance on your careers site, it’s a way of sharing your company culture to potential candidates.

Candidate Portal

The candidate portal enables candidates to manage and take control of their application. This means that candidates will be able to access their application history, check their progress, upload any required documents and select interview times if required.

Find out more

]]>http://hireserve.com/jargon-busting/feed0The humans behind Hireserve: Antonhttp://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-anton
http://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-anton#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 08:47:34 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3821This time, we’re talking to Anton Deblasio, our Front End Team Leader. Anton has been with Hireserve for almost five years since first joining as a KTP Associate, fresh from University. Now managing a team of front end developers and responsible for the look and feel of our customers’ career sites, Anton is also our...

]]>This time, we’re talking to Anton Deblasio, our Front End Team Leader.

Anton has been with Hireserve for almost five years since first joining as a KTP Associate, fresh from University. Now managing a team of front end developers and responsible for the look and feel of our customers’ career sites, Anton is also our go-to guy for all things system security-related (especially as he’s MWR Info Security accredited).

It’s now more important than ever to ensure your candidate records and job data are kept secure, so we asked Anton to share his knowledge and experience on the topic.

Hi Anton. Can you get us started by defining what makes a system secure?

For a system to be secure, it needs to adhere to base criteria. The best definition of this is to use the CIA Triad, which represents the three main pillars of a secure system.

1. C is arguably most important: confidentiality. As an example, this means that candidates shouldn’t see each other’s information, a user in one organisation shouldn’t be able to see the jobs of another organisation, and the hiring manager shouldn’t be able to see equal opportunities info. Vitally, attackers shouldn’t be able to access any information.

2. The next is I: integrity. A system has got to be able to ensure integrity of information – so monitoring who is updating data, making sure the right people are accessing data, and ensuring that information isn’t lost, isn’t damaged, and is only visible to authorised people. For a recruitment system, examples of this data are candidate records, job information, and so on. This can also be non-human related – so is the system saving the information correctly or introducing errors in the information?

3. And A stands for availability. A secure system needs to have the ability to stay online at all times: if a hacker is able to prevent someone who should be able to access the system from doing so, then it’s not secure. To put it into context, if a recruitment system was attacked and a user couldn’t login to access their recruiter portal or a candidate couldn’t apply for a job, it may be because of large volumes of requests sent from an attacker. To reduce the risk of this, simple steps can be taken, such as making sure the system software and hardware is kept up to date and appropriate for purpose.

And why is it important to have a secure system?

I guess in an increasingly digital age, there are big volumes of information stored online. So leaving it open to an attacker gives such an opportunity for identity theft, fraud, and similar.

Gulp. What security risks are out there – what should a recruitment system user be aware of?

The most common broad attack is a Distributed Denial of Service attack (DDOS). These are quite common at the moment and involve a person or people firing lots of requests at a system. This will mean that, because the system can get overwhelmed with these requests, no one else can access it. It’s a very easy and very common act.

Whatever system you go for, it needs to have the ability to block and respond to Denial of Service attacks and be able to monitor these. Large scale phishing attacks like spam emails with infected content are also very common so it is important that users only open attachments from people they are expecting them from.

What’s the point of an attack like DDOS?

Well, the result is mainly brand damage. If a big brand’s site, like Coca Cola’s, is taken down, it’s going to make news – even if in reality the site is not breached at all but has effectively just been overwhelmed. In the context of recruitment, putting an organisation’s career site out of action is not going make a candidate want to apply for a job with them.

Got it. So how could someone tell if their recruitment system and careers site is secure?

The key thing to look for is that your careers site and login for the back office is running over HTTPS. That should be Number 1.

Make sure your recruitment system supplier has been audited by security consultants, as it’s a good way to ensure that the latest OWASP standards and good practices are being met. We had ours earlier this week, which is reassuring.

We also run a lot of our sites through SSL certificates and they all get As on a scale from A-D (D is very worrying security level). This shows that both the certificate is strong but also the method of implementation is not vulnerable to common attack vectors.

A lot of security can start with recruiters themselves taking a few extra steps to make their system more secure. An enforced, strong password is the cornerstone of system security: if you’ve got weak passwords it doesn’t matter how secure your system is, people will still get in.

There also needs to be diligence from recruiters to make sure that any files or links sent to them are not to malicious sites, or that they know the contents. As a general rule, only open or run files if you know the person who sent it to you and you’re expecting something. Even PDF and document files can be used to compromise a person’s computer.

If someone runs a piece of software on their system, that’s the golden ticket, as it allows an attacker to have foreign access to an internal system. Regular updates to PCs and a good antivirus can also be good steps to being secure.

And finally, what should you ask your supplier in terms of security?

‘Do you get externally audited by security agencies?’ is a good question to start with, and ask if they have any security references from previous audits.

Then you should think about asking if they have enforced secure password policies, such as setting minimum requirements for candidate portal passwords like numbers, mandatory non alpha numeric characters and minimum lengths.

‘What measures do you have in place to keep candidate data secure?’

Finally, ‘Where is information kept?’ is another important one. You should also ask which country company information is stored in, as some may have different Data Protection Laws.

]]>http://hireserve.com/the-humans-behind-hireserve-anton/feed0Industry in focus: Recruiting engineering talenthttp://hireserve.com/recruiting-engineering-talent
http://hireserve.com/recruiting-engineering-talent#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 16:52:57 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3808– by Paul Ainley If you’re involved with recruiting engineers – you’ll know just how difficult it can be to track them down. Over at Chatter, together with the Daily Telegraph, we’ve been busy getting to grips with today’s engineering landscape. We already work with a number of large engineering firms, so we were keen...

If you’re involved with recruiting engineers – you’ll know just how difficult it can be to track them down.

Over at Chatter, together with the Daily Telegraph, we’ve been busy getting to grips with today’s engineering landscape. We already work with a number of large engineering firms, so we were keen to know more about how engineers feel about their career and the profession post-recession.

We picked up the phone to talk to employers. We asked all sorts of questions at engineering focus groups. And over 800 current and future civil, mechanical and structural engineers took part in our online survey.

This insight has been used to compile a 40-page report, and includes views on the engineering landscape, perceptions of the sector, career motivators, job-hunting and selecting a new employer.

With many firms already struggling to attract, recruit and retain good quality engineers, the results of our survey show this is likely to become more challenging as they’ll have to appeal to a broader range of career drivers amongst engineers who recognise how scarce their expertise is becoming.

It’s clear the recession has had a deep impact, and we noticed real change in the things engineers are looking for in an ideal employer. Whilst financial compensation is a clear priority, other things like vision and leadership, learning and development along with financial security and work life balance are all important factors too.

We found a commonly held belief that careers in engineering are not given the kudos they deserve, and the sector needs to work harder to build its profile and attract new talent. In particular, many felt the profession needed to appeal to a more diverse range of talent, and that firms needed to do more to address the challenge of an ageing workforce.

And almost half of those taking part in the survey said they were likely to be actively looking for a new job in the next 5 years. When they do, they’ll be focused on finding direct ways to search and apply, using their own network of contacts to uncover opportunities and help them decide if it’s right for them, as well as searching corporate careers sites and approaching companies directly.

From an employer’s perspective, having the right talent in the right place at the right time is becoming increasingly important over the next few years as large scale projects come on stream. The best performing firms will be those who can join the dots between their business strategy and people plans.

All in all, our research has shown that having joined up thinking across Early Careers and Experienced Hire recruitment, Internal Communications and People Engagement, Learning and Development and Reward and Benefits, for example, is becoming vital for engineering businesses to create a career offer that can appeal to a broad range of talent.

]]>http://hireserve.com/recruiting-engineering-talent/feed0How do we define flexible working?http://hireserve.com/flexible-working-practices
http://hireserve.com/flexible-working-practices#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 15:55:02 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3740Motivating, rewarding and retaining employees is not always easy. We’re continually told that a ‘career for life’ has little relevance in today’s working world, and that the expectations of Generations X, Y and Z differ widely in terms of staff benefits and an attractive EVP. Increasingly, surveys that crop up about staff benefits or employee...

We’re continually told that a ‘career for life’ has little relevance in today’s working world, and that the expectations of Generations X, Y and Z differ widely in terms of staff benefits and an attractive EVP.

Increasingly, surveys that crop up about staff benefits or employee engagement suggest that the less tangible staff benefits are more desirable that material rewards. ‘Employees would rather more annual leave than a bonus!’ or ‘Flexible working is 2nd best workplace benefit’ are two examples off the top of my head.

In a world where we can be connected to our colleagues 24/7, when holidays are no longer email-free and when we can manage a project via our mobile, people are seeking employers who care about facilitating a positive work-life balance, and benefits which can make this a reality.

Flexible working is often bandied about as a ‘perk’. We fear this label is easily misunderstood. Flexible working in its purest form is more than being able to choose between a ‘duvet morning’ or an ‘early finish’ (where hours can be changed to 09:30 – 6:00pm or 08:30 – 5:00pm).

Its scope is greater than ‘core hours’, whereby a degree of rigidity still remains as employees need to be in the office between 10am and 4pm, as an example.

So how would we define flexible working?

Truly agile working practices are deeply embedded within a company culture. They exist to make a work-life balance more practical for all team members, but have been developed to also make business sense.

They’re sustainable practices because they are supported by (and in turn support) the business’ operating structure. They are not abused because they are integrated into the business’ culture of trust, transparency and respect. They are not a tick in the box. They are not based on legislation and immovable frameworks.

Flexible working cannot remain the remit of one champion. It has to be viewed as a core company value. Everyone from Apprentices to Directors needs to buy-in to the practice and to promote it positively. This means line managers adopting the same attitude as company leaders and demonstrating care and acceptance. It means team members respecting the freedom and flexibility offered to them and not taking advantage.

Can we have an example of flexible working pactices in a ‘real’ business context?

A number of the Hireserve team regularly work flexibly; some because of their families, others due to a long commute. Both full and part-time team members utilise flexible working.

One team member – let’s call her Jo (we don’t have a Jo in the team yet) – has a young family. She works part-time: 20 hours a week spread across two days in the office and one at home. When she started working with us she was only working two hours a week, but as the business has grown and her children have started school, she has increased these. Occasions arise when Jo’s children are poorly, or there’s a school event. Jo runs it by one of our Directors and can swap her days around in the office, work remotely that day or come in later/earlier.

We believe in trust. We have utter faith that Jo – that all our team members in fact – will rearrange their priorities as necessary and will still deliver to the business. The immediate impact on the business is often hardly felt in these instances, save for an internal meeting rearranged or similar, but for Jo that small gesture of trust and flexibility means she can watch her son come second in the Year 3 relay.

The longer term impact, of course, is that Jo feels valued. She feels that we share her concerns around childcare and balancing work and family. Flexibility is a mutual benefit and, if we need to ask Jo to come into work earlier than she usually would for an important event, she wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

And what are the benefits of ‘true’ flexible working?

Flexible working practices can engage and motivate a team. It can aid staff retention, as valued employees are more likely to remain loyal to a company, as well as benefiting from a practical work-life balance. It can enhance talent attraction, as promoting oneself as a flexible employer can attract a wider pool of experienced working parents seeking flexible opportunities .

The effect of flexible working will be individual to your business and team members, but ultimately, if an employer cares, employees are more likely to care too, resulting in a more motivated and loyal workforce, combined with a very happy, genuine and relaxed company culture.

Want to define flexible working practices and their impact? It’s not really so much about words. It’s more about Jo’s face as she watches her son bounce up and down and wave at her from the finish line.

]]>http://hireserve.com/flexible-working-practices/feed0Why a pool table is more than ‘just’ a pool tablehttp://hireserve.com/why-a-pool-table-is-more-than-just-a-pool-table
http://hireserve.com/why-a-pool-table-is-more-than-just-a-pool-table#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 10:33:04 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3691Our team has expanded considerably over the last two years, with new developers, support consultants, sales and marketing team members. It’s brilliant news but, as other small businesses might recognise, with significant growth comes concerns about retaining your company culture. Generally, small businesses feel like a family. With only a few members of staff, everyone pitches...

]]>Our team has expanded considerably over the last two years, with new developers, support consultants, sales and marketing team members. It’s brilliant news but, as other small businesses might recognise, with significant growth comes concerns about retaining your company culture.

Generally, small businesses feel like a family. With only a few members of staff, everyone pitches in and cultivates a sense of togetherness. In-jokes, chats over a cuppa and knowing the dates of everybody’s birthdays are often the norm. So, when that team expands, thoughts naturally turn to how this state can be maintained.

When recruiting, you’re likely to have a certain ‘type’ of person in mind – not just in terms of their experience and skills but also their personality. Finding people who’ll fit in with your company values and culture is incredibly important, particularly for a small team. However, building a diverse workforce is also essential.

For a growing company, a real mix of backgrounds, experience and perspectives are vital to help shape a product, launch a marketing campaign or stage an event. A range of personalities can also help keep a happy balance of doers and thinkers, extroverts and introverts, leaders and followers in the workplace.

So how does all this link to our pool table?

Well, everyone here is very different: we have working parents, team members from different countries, part-time staff, work placement students, an apprentice, graduates – the list goes on. Each person brings a unique view point and set of skills to the team. We’re very fortunate because everyone, from our first employee to our most recent hire, is simply so nice. And everyone shares the same vision – to help continue to build the company and deliver 101%.

Oh yes, the pool table.

Everybody here is lovely – tick. We have a diverse workforce of brilliant minds – tick. But as we grow, and with some people working remotely and others working part-time, it becomes even more important to keep everyone feeling connected. We work hard to retain a sense of togetherness, from team socials to monthly team meetings. We operate a flat management structure, and promote transparency and sharing, so that the development team understand a bit about what the finance team are working on, and HR can find out about upcoming sales and prospects.

Sorry – getting to the pool table!

So we have these formal practices to maintain clear channels of communication and to ensure everyone feels involved. But it’s also the little things that really contribute to our open and happy company culture. We have a pool table in the office, and every lunch time, just for twenty minutes or so, anyone who wants to join in can play – each person starting with three points with one lost per missed shot. Generally, everybody from our MD to our (paid!) intern plays.

So what is the point of this post?

And why is the pool table more than a pool table to us? It’s because it embodies the unity of our team. Because almost every lunch time (work permitting), we come together to cheer good shots, help those less skilled (e.g. me) and generally talk nonsense. Akin to cakes on a birthday and Domino’s on a Friday, it’s these little gestures that demonstrate how much we care about our colleagues and this company.

These are things that other growing businesses could start to embed into day-to-day working life. Try to recruit one of your team as your ‘company champion’ or social secretary. Instead of just relying on the annual Christmas party to get everyone together, suggest a lunchtime spent at the pub (with soft drinks) every now and again. Start small – sit at the lunch table together once a week, or make every third Tuesday of the month doughnut day. They’re little steps, but can turn into huge leaps for employee engagement and retention.

Even if you’re a technology company like us, it’s all about the human touch

]]>http://hireserve.com/why-a-pool-table-is-more-than-just-a-pool-table/feed0Why start your graduate career with an SME?http://hireserve.com/why-start-your-graduate-career-with-an-sme
http://hireserve.com/why-start-your-graduate-career-with-an-sme#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 14:44:49 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3654Graduation is upon us once more! Clad in cap and gowns and firmly clutching their degrees, 2015’s graduates are embarking on their new professional journeys this summer. But what if you’re one of the graduates still searching for that elusive first opportunity? It might be worth considering an SME (small and medium sized business). Described as the ‘future champions...

]]>Graduation is upon us once more! Clad in cap and gowns and firmly clutching their degrees, 2015’s graduates are embarking on their new professional journeys this summer.

But what if you’re one of the graduates still searching for that elusive first opportunity? It might be worth considering an SME (small and medium sized business). Described as the ‘future champions of the British economy’, starting your career with the small super heroes of business might just be the smartest move you can make.

1. The variety show – Having staff pitch in and work across a range of services and functions is often a necessity for small companies. From a professional perspective, this can only serve to strengthen your CV and skillset, whilst on a personal level every day will be unique and interesting.

2. The good, bad and ugly – Generally, wherever you work you’ll be introduced to a broad mix of people. In a small business however, you may get more opportunity to collaborate with employees of all seniorities, specialisms and personalities. It’s a great way to hone your interpersonal skills, and the flat management structure of many SMEs may mean you can benefit from valuable one-to-one time with Company Directors or Senior Management.

3. Increased responsibility – There’s sure to be the obligatory first day of ‘research’ and an unnecessary spreadsheet, but a small business will urgently need your skills and will want to put them to good use immediately. You may be thrown into the deep end and managing projects very quickly. This can be steep learning curve, but offers great scope for you to rise to a challenge.

4. Climb, grow and learn – With a more fluid company structure, many SMEs offer great potential for progression. Roles can be created as the needs of the business evolve, and you may find yourself ascending the ranks more quickly than your peers who are bound by a rigid hierarchy.

5. Personal fulfilment – Your contribution can have a tangible impact on the growth of a business. You’re a person, not a number, and in a small team you can see the results of your work, get a pat on the shoulder from the MD and feel a part of something significant.

How do you find those opportunities with an SME?

Recruitment budget is often a consideration for small businesses, so they’re unlikely to appear on the major job boards, and many don’t offer formal grad schemes. Uni job shops are often free to advertise with so keep an eye on those, and your local press may also prove fruitful.

Ultimately though, you need to take charge. Choose your area and desired field and get Googling. Engage with organisations on social media. Make your LinkedIn profile stand out and shine.

Companies might not even be actively hiring, but it’s always worth emailing speculatively. It might not have crossed their minds that they need a marketing assistant or junior developer until the perfect candidate (e.g. you) comes a-knocking.

]]>http://hireserve.com/why-start-your-graduate-career-with-an-sme/feed03 ways an ATS can save you timehttp://hireserve.com/3-ways-an-ats-can-save-you-time
http://hireserve.com/3-ways-an-ats-can-save-you-time#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 08:40:32 +0000http://hireserve.com/?p=3643Can’t managing your recruitment process be such a time consuming task? Using traditional methods, such as email applications and paper CVs, can be difficult to manage and it only takes one slip-up from the postman or a missed email to potentially lose out on top talent for your business. Not to mention the trouble your...

]]>Can’t managing your recruitment process be such a time consuming task?

Using traditional methods, such as email applications and paper CVs, can be difficult to manage and it only takes one slip-up from the postman or a missed email to potentially lose out on top talent for your business. Not to mention the trouble your team go through wading through masses of CVs and emails on a daily basis.

So how can an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) help save you time when recruiting?

It automates tasks, reducing paperwork and manual processing

Communication with applicants can often be one of the lengthiest tasks when it comes down to recruiting. If you have a large number of applicants, it can be difficult to keep track, especially if candidates are all at different stages of the process. Having an automated system in place can help you to completely eliminate this through the ease of creating personalised emails that you can send in bulk to your candidates. Moreover, arranging interviews can be quick and easy; a simple tick of a box and a candidate will be able to pick their interview date and time.

There is also the difficulty of having a team of employees working on recruitment. Who is in charge of forwarding CVs and applications round to each member of staff? Whose job is it to manually type these up so that everyone has access to the most up-to-date information? An ATS will hold this information in one central database for everyone in the team to access, reducing administration time and manual processing. Instead, everything is centrally positioned in one, easy to access location. Although creating an Excel spreadsheet may initially seem like a simple way to organise your potential recruits, it can be difficult to keep track of what stage each candidate is at in the recruitment process.

It centralises recruitment

Even if you have several teams across the UK, you can implement your recruitment strategy in one central location. The central recruitment team will have access to all regional offices and be able to manage recruitment more efficiently than from several locations, meaning that you’ll only need to pay for one licence.

An ATS can be particularly helpful if you are sourcing candidates from a range of platforms, including your own careers site and job boards, as every application, despite its source, can be centrally grouped together for you to review at your own pace.

Furthermore, if you are still using agencies, the integration of an agency portal will speed up the process as you can communicate all recruitment information directly through the portal, rather than wasting valuable time emailing back and forth.

It aids candidate attraction

An as employer, you want to fill vacancies in the shortest amount of time possible in order to reduce costs to the business. With an Applicant Tracking System, you will be updated when new applicants have applied and at which stage of the process each candidate is. This means that you will be kept up-to-date at all times, helping to move the process along at a faster pace and reduce your overall time to hire.

Research by Indeed and The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), states that nearly half of all jobs advertised have not been filled after a month, with 27% still being vacant after 3 months. If you can attract candidates at a faster rate and encourage them to apply, this number could be significantly reduced, saving your team money and resources.

An ATS should help to give your business greater visibility, using SEO tools to index your job vacancies as well as integrating with social media to help promote your job adverts to a wider audience. An ATS should offer a professional candidate experience, as candidates are more likely to apply for a job if they are presented with an attractive, user friendly careers site that mirrors your brand.

An ATS should help save you time as an employer, finding you the best candidates through an automated system which reduces the hard work and manual processing. Through a centralised system, recruitment can be managed more effectively, helping you to source candidates across the country, saving you time and money, whilst aiding candidate attraction.